Most East Texas nursing schools score 88% to 100% on 2019 state exam

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, December 5, 2019

LONGVIEW — Nursing schools around East Texas mostly showed improvements in 2019 on the results of tests their graduates take to become registered nurses, with most scores ranging from 88% to 100%.

The National Council Licensure Examination is a national exam that nursing students take after graduation to receive a nursing license. It determines if it’s safe for them to begin practice as an entry-level nurse.

LeTourneau University in Longview continued its 100% pass rate, the university said, with 20 students taking the exam.

LeTourneau’s nursing program began in 2014, according to the university. Kimberly Quiett, dean of nursing, said the university has achieved a 100% pass rate since 2016. Twelve students took the exam in 2018.

East Texas Baptist University in Marshall released its 100% pass rate in August. The nursing school had 14 students take the exam, and it also had a 100% pass rate in 2017, 2016 and 2015.



Pass rates were lower at schools with more students taking the exam.

The University of Texas at Tyler had a 94.86% pass rate this year, with 311 students taking the exam, university spokeswoman Beverley Golden said. That rate was up some from its 94.38% score in 2018, when 320 students took the exam.

UT Tyler pass rates include the Longview University Center.

Kilgore College’s 2019 rate dropped to 88.14% from 95.74% in 2018. Spokesman Chris Craddock said 59 students took the exam in 2019, while 47 students took it in 2018.

The pass rate for Kilgore College includes students at the Longview campus.

Students at Panola College in Carthage had a 94.59% pass rate, spokeswoman Jessica Pace said. The two-year program had 35 students pass the exam out of the 37 who took it.

In 2018, Panola College’s pass rate was 89.55%, and 60 out of 67 students passed.

At Tyler Junior College, 164 out of 180 students passed, giving the two-year program a 91.11% pass rate. In 2018, the college had a pass rate of 93.24%.

Jodi Pack, spokeswoman at Northeast Texas Community College near Mount Pleasant, said the college has only preliminary test results, because some students still have not taken the exam.

Those results are a 73.97% pass rate, with 54 out of 73 students passing the exam, she said.

In 2018, NTCC’s pass rate was 85.71%, with 36 out of 42 students passing.